Mark Laske brings puck around Mario Nigro. Albany Bombers played the second of two games Sunday at the HVCC Conway arena.
Mike McMahon — The Record

TROY >> It’s not uncommon to see hockey teams facing off on the ice at Hudson Valley Community College, but it is uncommon when most of the players on those teams identify as gay.

That was exactly the scene Sunday afternoon, as the Albany Bombers faced off against the Boston Lobsters in a tight match at the Conway Ice Rink. Apart from their sexual orientation, it was a game like any other as players drummed their sticks to build energy as the pucks and the players flew down the ice.

In a team sport known for its machismo, and the prevalence of homophobia, joining a hockey league for the love of the game can be tough when doing so is accompanied by derogatory slurs in the locker room or on the ice.

When Tom Smith joined a pick up hockey league in 2000, he did not let it be known he was gay, out of concern that he would not be accepted. Foremost in his mind was the possibility, however unlikely, that letting on that he was gay could result in homophobic violence, either on the ice or off.

“It didn’t feel like it would be someplace where I could say, ‘Hey, I’m gay,’” said Tom Smith, who manages the Bombers. “I think that when you’re different, when you’re a minority person, and you play a sport, you want to know that there won’t be any repercussions.”

It was at a booth at the Gay Pride festival in June of 2006 that Smith and Ken Zalewski, now coach, began recruiting for a gay mens hockey team. At the time, they fielded interest from a handful of men, and even a few women. At the end of the day, they had barely enough people to field a team, but field one they did.

Seven years later, the team now has 30 players, and Zalewski is looking at a real possibility of forming two separate teams, one for beginners and one for more experienced players.

The team has been built with the intent of being inclusive of people of any sexual orientation, in a sport where homophobia had long — and in some cases, continues to be — the norm.

“The notion behind the team is to create a welcoming environment for LGBT people who may have never thought about playing hockey, or playing sports in general,” said Zalewski. “We will teach you how to skate, if we have to, and we will teach you how to play hockey.”

Jim Joyal has been with the team since it was formed. Before he joined, he had never played hockey. “I wanted to be on a team where I knew things might be a bit more relaxed, both play-wise and attitude-wise,” said Joyal while sitting on the bench. “This is just a much more welcoming atmosphere.”

As he was being interviewed, Joyal was cut short as he was needed out on the ice. As he skated out, the back of his jersey was clear, as was his comfort amongst his team mates; a line taped covered the word “Single” on his jersey, which he’d originally put there as a joke, and underneath his number he had written “Taken.”

Todd Carangelo joined in 2009, years after meeting the team at the now-defunct Phoenix bar in Albany. Unlike Joyal, it took Carangelo some time to become accustomed to the idea of joining a hockey team, as he had never played hockey, nor had he ever skated.

“I feel like I’m part of this family now,” said Carangelo. He now plays left wing.

The Bombers are the only explicitly gay-friendly — there are several straight players — hockey team in the Capital District, and one of the few in upstate New York. The nearest gay or gay-friendly teams are in New York City, Montreal, and Boston, said Zalewski. As such, the Bombers draw interest from across upstate new York. Many of the players are from around the Capital District, but one member drives from far north, deep in the Adirondacks, and another travels from Rhinebeck. The team is based in Troy, and usually practices at the Knickerbacker Arena.

When the team was formed, part of the reason was to give people, like Smith, a place where there would be no question of their acceptance. Since even a few years ago, there is more acceptance of gay people in team sports, a change that has been reflected by the number of major league players who have come out in support of equal rights, said Zalewski. With homophobia less prevalent in hockey in general, the need for the team has shifted.

“I don’t think people really care if they have a gay teammate or not,” said Zalewski. “There is, however, a need for an environment for gay and lesbian people who might have never thought to try hockey can come out and do that. It would be far more difficult for an LGBT adult to step into hockey, as opposed to the Albany Bombers, where we will help you play hockey and are a welcoming environment.”